Friction driving mechanism.



M. L. SEVERY.

FRICTION DRlVlNG MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25. 1913.

1,185,628. Patented Apr. 13, 1915.

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M. L. SEVERY.

FRICTION DRIVING MECHANISM.

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Patented Apr.13, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

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MELVIN L. SEVERY, OF ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO SEVEEY MANUFACTURING CQI /IPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

Be it known that I, MELVIN L. SEVERY, of Arlington Heights, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachuetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Friction Driving Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in friction driving mechanism particularly adapted for use in automobiles, although not limited to such use.

The object of the invention is to provide a device of this character, having a driven member composed of a plurality of independently movable sections which are adapted to engage a driving member and be driven thereby in accordance with the speed of the particular portion of the driving element which they engage, without interference from portions of the driven element en gaging other portions of the driving element, and without substantial slippage or drag between the driving and driven elements.

Heretofore, as usually constructed, the driving and driven elements have been each composed of single disks or integral rolls placed at right angles to one another. With such a construction, when the disks are in contact, the inner edge of the disk which has its periphery in contact with the flat face of the other disk travels over a portion of said flat face which is moving at a slower circumferential speed than that portion which is in contact with the outer edge of the periphery of said first mentioned disk. Consequently the first disk tends to rotate at a speed midwav between the two eX tremes, so that the inner half of the width of its periphery is moving faster than the corresponding portion of the flat face of the other disk, thus causing slippage; and the outer half of the width of said periphery is moving slower than the corresponding portion of said flat face, thus causing said peripheral face to lag with respect to this portion of the flat face. Accordingly, the primary purpose of the invention is to overcome this objectionable feature. In the present embodiment of the invention the driven member is composed of a series of independently rotatable disks which are adapted to be brought into driving relation with the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 25, 1913.

FRICTION DRIVING MECPANISM.

Patented Apr. 13, 1915.

Serial No. 775,677.

driven shaft whenever their speed becomes equal to that of said shaft.

The invention will be readily understood from an inspection of the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an end elevation of the device showing a convenient means for varying the pressure between the disks, Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same, Fig. 3 is a fragmentary central longitudinal section taken on the line in Fig. 6, Fig. l is a fragmentary transverse vertical section taken on the line in Fig. 3, showing the manner in which the disks cooperate with the driven shaft, Fig. 5 is a sectional end elevation of the driven disk, with one of its side plates broken away, Fig. 6 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section showing the roller clutches, Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 77 in Fig. 5, and Fig. 8 is a horizontal section taken on the line 88 in Fig. 1, showing the shaft and bearings in elevation.

As illustrated in the drawings, the present embodiment of the invention comprises a driving shaft 10 and a driven shaft 12. A driving disk 14 is connected to the shaft 10 by a universal joint 16, and is preferably made hollow and filled with some sounddeadening material 18, such as sand or any other suitable material. The driving face of the disk 14 is preferably substantially flat, while the rear face is provided with an annular conical flange 20, which is adapt-' ed to engage either of two idlers 22, 24, mounted on shafts journaled in suitable bearings 26, on a frame 28, said disk engaging one idler or the other according as the driven member is at one side or the other of the driving disk 14. The crowding friction between the driving and driven members is taken by these idlers.

The driven shaft 12 may be journaled in eccentrics 30, rotatably mounted in bearings on the frame 28. The eccentrics 30 are provided with arms 34, which are connected by links 36 with a lever 38, whereby by moving said lever the eccentrics 30 are partially rotated to vary the position of the center of the shaft 12, and consequently the periphery of the driven element with respect to the face of the driving disk, thereby varying the pressure exerted between these that the driving element 14 might .be moved 4'0, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, rotatable about a sleeve 6 toward the driven element I 12, instead of "vice versa.' During therotation of the parts" :the centrifugalaction of thedisk 14 tends .to place this disk at right angles to its shaft 10 and accordingly exert a pressure upon the driven member, said disk 14 being tilted out of ,its right angled position by the pressure of the driven element as clearly shown in Fig.8. This pressure obviously would be increased by any increase in the speed of the disk.

The driven element comprises a plurality of "independently rotatable annular. plates 47, avliich is slidably keyed to the driven shaft 12, and each surrounded by a ring 40,

" 41", 42 43 44 45 separated therefrom by a space 46 in which a corrugated spring 48,

is mounted. Thesesprings are held in place by thin rings 50, 52, secured to the opposite sides of the plates 4045 and let into annular recesses formed in thefaces of said plates so that the outer faces of said plates and rings 50, 52are flush. The rings ,.50, 52 are als'o'let in't'othe sides ofthe rings 40-45i, but with clearance all around the peripheries of the'former, so that the rings 40 -45 inay slide between their respective pairs of rings '5 Q, 52,fwhen the springs 48 ,yield. The

rings,40 45? may be held from circumferential ,movement with respect to the plates 40 45, respectively,'by pins 54, which may befast in saidplates and loose in said rings, as shown, in Fig. 7. The rings 40+45 are provided preferably with steel, aluminum, fiber or other tires-or rims 56 afiiked .jthereto in any desired manner and adapted to engage the flat face of the disk 14, said driven elements, or composite disks as they may be termed, being adapted yieldingly andv independently to engage said flat face and make a good driving contact therewith. I V 1 The sleeve 47, in the present instance, is provided with four recesses 60, 61, 62, 63 in its periphery, and each recess is formed with a radial wall 64-and a wall 66 atrightanglesthereto, the latter being formed with a series of :channels 68 in which balls or rollers 40 ,41 42* ,43 4.4. 45, are guided. The two Walls of the recesses 60, 61, 6 2, 63, respectively, together with the inner peripheries of the plates 40-45. form substantially triangular passages of ball or roller clutches, said rollers acting to connectsaid plates in driving relation with the sleeve 47, and consequently with the driven shaft 12, when said rollers are crowded between the grooved wallsf'66 and the-internal peripheries of the plates 40-45. It will be noted by reference to'Fig. 6that the two recesses 60, 62 open in one direction so as to clutch the rollers when the plates are rotating in the direction indiwhereas. the recesses 61 and;63' open-amine opposite direction, and in these latter re-.

driven element isin the .cposition shownfin cated the a1-row, and at suflicient speed,-

.cessesthe rollers are not in drivingrelation Thus one pair. of recesses is. active when the .70. plates 4045 are rotated in one direction, and the other'pair ofrecesses are activewhen said plates are rotating in the opposite'di-l rection. ,1

The rollers are normally pressed into en-f gaging or clutching position by springs 70, whichare housed lIljlGCBSSGS/TQ formedsin the sleeve 47 but the inactive sets of" rollers ar'egadapted -tobe pressedba ck out .of'engag-l .ingiposition by rocker bar's 74'carried f arms 7 6'fast onrockershafts 7 S, the l tter, -being,-journaled.in the end plates 80,13 which are affikefdfto the ends of :the sleeve '47. A finger,.84" projects inwardly from each shaft 78 and is connectedtO oneend of i a coiled spring, 86, the other end of which is. connected to the sleeve 47. These spri'ng tend normallyto swing the rocker bars 7 awayfrom thefrollers 40".45 'sothat the latter-are free to be crowded into' clutching; position, as will be hereinafter explained. 1 j The shaft 12. is provided with; four longi-l tudinally extending cams 90, 91;, 92,93, the cams 90,,92 extending from near one end of said shaftpast its middle, and the ca e 91, f 93 extending from near the other end ofsaid shaft,pastitsmiddle.- These cams are ,de fiected slightly at their inner endsto 'fa'cili tate the gradual engagement and movement; ofthe fingers 84 thereby when thesleeve/147; is moved longitudinally by meansof a ship part4, which engages a grooved collar. 96 1 forming apart ofthe plate 80. When the; Fig. 8 the cams'90 ,and 92' are outoffaction 'v and the fingers 84,84? .(seeFig.6) arefree to be swungby their springs 86 to cause the rockerfbar's 74, 4 to release'the rollers in cont'act therewith, so that they may be; forced by their respective springsJO into position ready to beclutchedbythe plate The clutching action is brought about as follows: Take for example the composite g disk 40, which, as shown, engages the driv- 1 ing disk 14at the'greatest-distance from they, center of, the latter; consequentlythe former is rotated at the' greatest speed of any of the driven members. The rotation of the plate 40 aroundthe sleeve 47 causes said plate to 3 forcelthe rollers40 and 40 ou tward along" the grooved surfaces 66, thereby clutching said plate into driving relation with 'saidg, sleeve, sothat they :both rotate at the same speed. If the plate 41 is rotating slower than the plate 40, it will-not clutch'theroller 41 and the 'roller'in its set corresponding} to the roller 40 but as scenes the speed of o i said ;plate 41 :picks up sufliciently it Will =7 clutch its rollers and move them from the 3 tion it has been deemed desirable to have the driven member inactive, as it passes across the central portion of the driving disk, when the direction ,of rotation of the driven shaft is being reversed. By referenceto Fig. 8 is will be seen that the cams 90, 91, 92, and 93 overlap for a short distance along the middle of the shaft 12. When the sleeve 47 is in this position, the cams 9093 are all active and the fingers 84,

84?, 84 and 84 are engaged to swingtheir respective rocker bars Tet, 74: 7& and 74 so that the rollers cooperating therewith are moved inward into disengaging position, thus allowing the composite disks 4110-45 to rotate idly about the sleeve 47. Then when the sleeve and disks are moved to the right hand end of the shaft 12, the cams 91 and 93 go out of action, thus freeing the fingers 84: and 84 and allowing them to be swung by their springs 86 to release the rollersin contact with the rocker-bars 74 and 74, so that these rollers can be forced into clutching position by their respective disks when the speed of the latter is sufficient, as heretofore explained.

I do not restrict myself to the particular embodiment of the invention chosen for illustration as obviously the, advantages of the invention may be secured in greater or less degree in modified forms of the device. For example the laminated construction of the friction roller will give its characteristic advantages in various types of variable speed friction gears beside the fiat disk type illustrated. The structure of the friction roller is also subject to variation and while I prefer a ball clutch mechanism, other equivalent intermittent grip devices familiar to the mechanic may be substituted. I therefore use in certain of the claims the term intermittent grip connections in its broad sense to denote any device locking against motion in one direction while permtting substantially free motion in the opposite direction. Obviously either of the friction elements may be the driver and the other be driven thereby. What I claim is g 1. A friction driving mechanism comprising in combination a rotary friction element; a shaft; a second friction element composed of a plurality of independently rotatable sections mounted on said shaft and adapted frictionally to engage said first named friction element; and means for automatically putting said sections into and out of driving relation with said shaft.

2. A friction driving mechanism comprising in'combination a rotaryfriction element; a shaft; 1 second friction element composed of a plurality of independently rotatable sections mounted on said shaft and adapted frictionally to engage said first named friction element; and means controlled by the speed of any sectionnfor placing said section in driving relation with said shaft.

3. A friction driving mechanism, comprising rotary driving means, a driven shaft, and a driven member composed of independently rotatable sections adapted to be brought into driving relation with said driven shaft. 7

4. A friction driving mechanism, comprising rotary driving means, a driven shaft, and a driven member composed of independently rotatable sections adapted to be brought into driving relation with said driving means and adapted to be automatically brought into driving relation with said shaft when their speed is sufiicient.

5. A friction driving mechanism comprising in combination a rotary friction element; a shaft; a second friction element composed of a plurality of independently rotatable sections mounted on said shaft and adapted frictionally to engage said first named friction element; and rolling clutch members interposed between each of said 1 sections and said shaft.

6. A friction driving mechanism, comprising a rotary friction element, a shaft, a sleeve on said shaft provided with a plurality of recesses, a plurality of independently rotatable members surrounding said sleeve and in frictional engagement with said friction element, and a plurality of rolling members in said recesses adapted to engage said rotatable members and bring them into driving relation with said sleeve when the speed of said rotatable members is sufficient.

7. A friction driving mechanism, comprising a rotatable member having a plurality of, recesses in its outer surface, one or more annular members surrounding said rotatable member, a plurality of rolling members adapted to clutch said rotatable member to said annular member or members, means for moving said rolling member into clutching position, and means whereby said rolling member may be withdrawn from clutching position.

8. A friction driving mechanism, comprising a pair of angularly disposed rotatable members, one of said members being yielding and arranged to assume various degrees 

